


A Leftover from Paradise

by mage_989



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2014-12-01
Packaged: 2018-02-27 16:29:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2699636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mage_989/pseuds/mage_989
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After his exposure to the spores on Omicron Seti III McCoy is reminded why he had his tonsils removed in the first place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Leftover from Paradise

“Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty.”

Voices fell silent as people leaned over their simulator dummies and breathed. Then sat back, set their arms and started pumping again.

McCoy walked around the rows of students, checking their technique.

“I don’t want to see any bouncing! It’s a straight up and down movement, use your body fully. If your ass doesn’t hurt tomorrow you weren’t doing it right!”

He looked up as the chronometer beeped.

“All right that’s it for today will work on it again next week.”

As the students started putting the supplies away McCoy picked up his PADD to check off their attendance and went into his office. He slumped into his chair, coughing and rubbing at his throat. He really needed to stop yelling like that.

He picked up one of the red lozenges from a bowl he kept on the desk and popped it into his mouth. Letting the medication and sweet taste numb the pain he got to work on his never ending pile of paperwork.

An hour later McCoy sat back in his chair, tugging his tunic collar away from his skin. Unless the environmental controls were broken he was certain he was running a fever again. Sighing he pulled out a small mirror from one of the desk drawers. He held it up and opened his mouth wide, inspecting the troublesome twins back there.

“That’s three times already this year and it’s only April.”

McCoy started and looked up into the kind blue eyes of Christine Chapel.

“Thank you for the update, but I’ve been keeping track, Nurse.”

Christine folded her arms across her chest.

“Do you actually plan to do something about it?”

“Yes, if you wouldn’t mind getting me another round of antibiotics.”

“That’s a temporary solution, Doctor, and you know it.”

McCoy stood up his own blue eyes flashing.

“Why are you suddenly so interested, Nurse Chapel?”

“Since I’m the one filling out extra requisition forms, because someone keeps using up all our cherry throat lozenges.”

McCoy give her a sheepish smile at that comment.

“Well, if they weren’t the only kind that tasted good,” he muttered, turning his gaze to the floor.

Christine smiled and put one hand on his shoulder.

“Leonard, be reasonable and let’s get them removed.”

McCoy shook his head.

“I know you’ve been working hard on your doctorate, Christine, but you can’t perform that procedure without a fully certified doctor on hand; me being unconscious on the operating table doesn’t count.”

“You know Doctor M’Benga is scheduled to come aboard tomorrow, he can supervise me. There’s no better way to introduce him to how we work then to let him just jump right in.”

“Chris-”

“And Captain Kirk has timed this with shore leave, so we won’t be interrupted or make any patients a lower priority; there won’t be a better time.”

McCoy sighed and raised his hands up slightly in defeat.

“All right, all right. Set me up a room for tomorrow and I’ll start fastening.”

***

The meeting with Doctor Geoffrey M’Benga was perfectly smooth. McCoy and Christine introduced themselves, made sure all his things were at his new quarters, and showed him around sickbay. After that they had asked him if he wouldn’t mind helping them out with Christine’s extra credit assignment as they had named it. M’Benga raised his eyebrows, but agreed.

The operation went like clockwork and McCoy woke up afterwards to Christine smiling at him and holding up a large glass of ice water.

“Start drinking,” she said.

McCoy took the glass and began gulping it down, wincing. He could have sworn this hurt less when he was a kid.

***

Jim Kirk made his way down the halls of the Enterprise to sickbay, to track down a certain over-worked CMO. Jim couldn’t believe that Bones hadn’t been one of the first ones to sign up for shore leave rotation. In fact McCoy’s name wasn’t on the list for any days of shore leave. Jim rolled his eyes as he approached sickbay. It was usually Spock he had to chase off the ship to the lovely planets they had stopped at.

Coming into sickbay Jim stopped short as he saw that it wasn’t McCoy making the rounds, but their new doctor. The man looked up from his charts at him and Jim plastered a smile on his face and walked over.

“Hello, Doctor, I’m Captain James Kirk. It’s a pleasure to have you onboard.”

“Geoffrey M’Benga,” he said, shaking the man’s hand.

“Getting right to work aren’t you, Doctor M’Benga?”

M’Benga chuckled. “I suppose I am. I must say your team certainly know how to take a man into the fold. First time I’ve helped perform a tonsillectomy on my boss on my first day on the job.”

Jim gaped and started to ask M’Benga what he meant, but then stopped. Those kinds of things would have been sent to him in his daily logs, and there was no need to make the new guy think the captain didn’t keep up to date on his reports. Even if Jim hadn’t today.

M’Benga continued talking.

“The head nurse is doing a splendid job. She’ll make a fine doctor herself in just a few short years.”

“Yes, we only want the best for the Enterprise. Doctor, which room is Doctor McCoy in?”

“The last room in section...D I think it is. With thought we’d give him a chance to recover without the prying eyes of other patients. I’m sure you’ll want to visit him; it was nice meeting you, Captain.”

With that he went back to his rounds and Jim made his way to McCoy’s room.

As the door slid back Jim found his friend in bed reading half-heartedly from the viewer. McCoy looked up as Jim came in.

“Hey, Jim,” he said, his voice raspy.

“Hi, Bones, how you feeling?”

McCoy shrugged.

“Been better, been worse.”

Jim nodded and noticed the water glass and pitcher on the food tray next to McCoy’s bed, and nothing else.

“Bones, why are you drinking that?”

McCoy raised his eyebrows.

“Because it makes it hurt less, Jim, you know that.”

“Well, you’re going to spend too much time being miserable, Bones, if you aren’t going to engage in the only fun activity you get with this surgery. I’ll be right back.”

Jim left and came back some minutes later with a smile on his face and handed McCoy a bowl of peach flavoured ice cream.

“Here,” he said, before turning towards the door, “and I’ve brought the entertainment with me.”

McCoy looked over to the door as Scotty and Spock came in.

“What are you two doing here?”

“We have been informed that the weekly poker game has been moved, Doctor.”

“Oh, you guys don’t have to-”

“It’s Thursday, Doctor McCoy, it’s tradition,” Scotty said, smiling and holding up a stack of food tapes. “And I’ve got three cards of peppermint swirl ice cream here that says you can’t keep a good poker face like this.”

McCoy smiled as the group began placing several ice cream tapes in the centre of his food tray and Jim began shuffling the deck of cards.

“Deal me in.”

The End


End file.
